I have to admit I haven't tried hydraulic discs. And I've never claimed to be a normal person - I like knowing I could repair/replace every bit of my bike armed with only a bottle opener and a toothpick.

That said - if e-bikes had been more of a thing when I was riding from Mt Eden to East Tamaki and back every day, I probably would have bought one, discs and all.

Compared to a regular bike, removing a driving wheel with a hub motor has one extra level of complexity - somewhere there'll be a cable connector, ideally weatherproofed, which you'll pull apart and later reconnect.

Surely there must be a torque reaction arm somewhere which needs to be detached?

As each e-bike brand, and often each model, tends to have its own peculiar battery configuration, you hope they'll still be around when you need a replacement.

OTOH Li-ion tech gets better every year, and it shouldn't be difficult with the right know-how to match the electrical characteristics of an old battery pack with a new replacement. I can see this being a growth industry for all kinds of electric transport.

Bicycles are like computers, cars, musical instruments - however much money you pay, you could always have paid more. $2k+ is perfectly reasonable even for a new entirely-leg-powered bike if you can afford it, and you're going to use it a lot, *and* you expect it to last for some years without trouble.

Any other Aucklanders seen the new (as in, not open yet) e-bike specialist shop on the corner of South and East streets in town? Also hanging in the window are a bevy of Bromptons and a nice-looking Rohloff-equipped tourer of some sort...